Responsible for media relations for the 6th Annual Border Security Expo, a two-day event held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Event organizers wanted to generate local buzz for the event to both increase awareness and promote exhibitors.

Strategy:Leveraging news topic of border issues in Arizona, combined with stunning visuals event provides, execute proactive media outreach to secure morning show lives on-location as well as recorded stories for evening news. Generate coverage in Phoenix and also pitch national reporters who cover immigration or border security.

Tactics:In advance, sent out event media advisories followed by personal pitches to both local and national media outlets. Leveraged local media relationships to line up TV coverage through outreach to individual reporters and producers. During the event, posted photos and updates via Twitter, which generated second wave of media coverage the second day of the event where reporters could interview law enforcement attendees from around the world.

Results:
Coverage from every major news organization in Phoenix, including live television broadcasts on three stations; total of 8 TV stations (Phoenix and Tucscon), 3 newspapers and 4 radio stations. An Associated Press article and photo ran in newspapers across the country. Other national coverage included CNN, New York Times, NPR, FOX News and NBC Nightly News. Here are some examples:

Chandler company wants its business to grow from grassroots

An East Valley company is launching a line of self-watering plant pots aimed at encouraging consumers to adopt green practices.

The Grobal pots are modern-looking globes in a range of colors, with a starting price of about $15. Each pot features a side spout into which owners can occasionally pour water, along with a small packet of proprietary liquid fertilizer, to help the plant thrive with little hassle.

“Especially in this economy, people are looking for smarter and efficient ways to do things. This is environmentally conscious, and you will not kill your plants,” said Kayla Sharp, executive vice president of Botanicare.

Grobal is the first mass-market consumer product from Botanicare, a Chandler company that focuses on green growing practices, including organics and hydroponics.

“Our vision is self-sustaining agriculture. It’s not sexy,” Sharp said. “So this is a way to get the attention of the rest of the world without boring them.” [Read more…]

A Scottsdale company has brought the bedroom into the boardroom with the discovery that snoring can be a profitable venture.

Airware International Group inked a deal with Boots, a well-known British retailer, to put its Brez snoring aids on store shelves starting this month. Boots pharmacies are the equivalent of Rite-Aid in the U.S., according to Airware President and CEO Mindi Osborn.

That’s only part of Airware’s growth strategy. As the company makes inroads into the consumer marketplace, it also is in discussions to merge with a public company, Osborn said. She would not disclose details.

Seconds after exiting Interstate 10 in Phoenix one afternoon last month, Joe Cockrell saw a state trooper signaling him to pull over. But instead of demanding his driver’s license and registration, the patrolman asked, “What’s Jobing.com?”

Mr. Cockrell breathed a sigh of relief. His Ford Escape was wrapped in an ad for the specialized employment-listing site and it had been attracting a lot of attention.

The trooper “said his wife had just got laid off and they have a baby on the way,” recalls Mr. Cockrell, who until two weeks ago was director of public relations for Jobing.com. He gave the trooper his business card and a company pamphlet listing job-search tips. He says the trooper thanked him — and added: “Be sure to turn on your blinker when exiting the freeway.”read the rest of the article at Wall Street Journal >>

Like Ms. Chiara, more workers are reacting to the increase in gas prices by taking advantage of benefits their employers have been offering for years. Phoenix-based Jobing Inc. has found more employees are showing interest in a seven-year-old program that covers 100% of their fuel costs. The catch: Workers have to wrap their cars with an advertisement for the company.

Today, 60% of Jobing’s 276-person work force — or about 166 people — is participating, up from less than 10 people in the program’s first three years, says Joe Cockrell, director of public relations for the publisher of Jobing.com, an employment Web site. Mr. Cockrell is among them: In December he turned over his new Ford Escape for ad-wrapping in exchange for gas money, saving him about $200 a month. He says most employees who sign up reference current gas prices as their main incentive.read the rest of the article at Wall Street Journal>>

The career search Web site Jobing.com’s program really helps employees’ wallets. Those who meet certain requirements (such as length of time at the company, a good driving record and completion of a safe driving course) can get their car completely wrapped with the company’s logo. The reward: 100% of the employee’s gas is paid for along with a monthly $500 stipend. The company has an approved list of cars that employees can choose to either lease or buy.

Peter Difilippantonio was one of the first employees to get a wrapped car at Jobing.com. He purchased his Jeep Cherokee in October 2003 and paid it off last year using the $500 monthly stipend. Since the benefit doesn’t end when the car is paid off, he uses that money on household expenses.read the rest of the article at Forbes>>

At Jobing.com, a job-search and recruiting company in Phoenix, all employees who have been with the company for more than a year are eligible to get their cars wrapped with ads for their employer, a perk that pays them $500 a month plus unlimited gas, even if they were to drive cross-country on vacation.

“It just seemed fair to us,” said Aaron Matos, the 35-year-old chief executive of Jobing.com. “This is a way to get a mobile billboard out on the street, so we were definitely willing to pay for that.”read the rest of the article at New York Times >>

Recommendations

“Joe is one of the best PR professionals in the business. He knows just what to do, who to call, and how to make things happen. His ability to connect and be on point is one of the traits that differentiates him from others. Joe’s creativity combined with his empathy and intelligence make him one of a kind.”